环球英语 — 373：Free Wheelchair Mission

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In 2001, Don Schoendorfer travelled to Luanda, Angola. On this trip, he brought something special with him. He brought four wheelchairs⁴. He had built them himself. He wanted to give these chairs to disabled people - people with movement problems.
Voice 2
Don and his group travelled to a very poor area of Luanda with their wheelchairs. Many amputees lived in the community. When Don got out of his truck, he saw two shapes moving in the distance. Clouds of dust formed behind these shapes. As the shapes got closer, Don saw that they were two young men. The men were pulling themselves across the ground. The men pulled their legs behind them. Their knees were dirty, cut, and bloody⁵ from the rough² ground.
Voice 1
These men were in a difficult situation. They were not able to use their legs. But they were strong and determined⁶ to move through the streets. A wheelchair³ would make this much easier. Don pulled one of his wheelchairs from the truck. One of the disabled men put his hand on the chair. He did not want to let go. Don tells what happened next.
Voice 3
“The man looked up at me. He had such hope in his eyes. I wanted to get my camera, but I could not make him wait like that any longer. I put my hand on the seat and moved for him to climb into the chair. Quickly, he was sitting in the chair and looking at me for directions.”
Voice 2
Don pushed the man around in the chair. Don told the man that this was now his wheelchair. Don had brought it in the name of Jesus Christ⁷. He could see the large smile on the man’s face. But he also saw twelve [12] other disabled people gathered around him. Don only had three more wheelchairs to give away. The need for wheelchairs was so large. That day, Don promised to do all he could to help disabled people all over the world. Today, he is still working to achieve that goal.
Voice 1
Today’s spotlight is about Don and the Free Wheelchair Mission⁸.
Voice 2
There are many people in the world living with disabilities. And over one hundred million [100,000,000] disabled people need wheelchairs. But wheelchairs can cost a lot of money. Many people do not have enough money for a wheelchair. Or there is no way for them to get one.
Voice 1
Disability can be difficult for any person. Many people have a bad opinion of disability - they believe that a disabled person is not able to live a full, satisfying⁹ life. Or that disabled people are not worth very much. Sometimes, a community supports and respects a disabled person. But often, it is the other way - disabled people experience rejection¹⁰ and disrespect.
Voice 2
Poverty¹¹ can make these problems much worse. First, poverty creates more disabilities. This is because of bad health services, difficult work, and difficult living conditions. And second, disasters affect poor people more - from war and conflict¹² to extreme¹³ weather. All of these things can cause terrible injuries. And during these difficult times, people cannot usually get the medical care they need. This has lasting¹⁴ effects.
Voice 1
Finally, for very poor people, it is difficult to get help in dealing¹⁵ with disability. This makes the effects of a disability much worse. For example, wheelchairs. Wheelchairs can make a huge difference for a person with movement problems. With a wheelchair, these people can move more freely¹⁶ - and this way, a person can live a more normal life. But often, wheelchairs cost too much money.
Voice 2
In 1977 Don Schoendorfer first learned¹⁷ of these difficulties¹⁸. In that year he travelled to Morocco with his wife. There he saw a disabled woman. She pulled herself across the dirt ground. The people around her did not help her. In fact, they treated her very badly. This incident¹⁹ stayed in Don’s mind for many years. Finally, twenty-five years later, he decided²⁰ to do something to help people like that woman.
Voice 1
Don is a mechanical²¹ engineer. He has designed complex²² machines. [] But this was a different kind of problem. He spent nine months designing and building a wheelchair. But this wheelchair was different from normal wheelchairs. New wheelchairs can cost anywhere from one hundred fifty dollars [150] to thirty thousand dollars [30,000]. But Don wanted to make a wheelchair that did not cost a lot of money. He wanted to make a wheelchair for poor disabled people all around the world.
Voice 2
Don worked hard to find materials that did not cost a lot of money. He used bicycle wheels for the chair instead of specially²³ designed wheels. People use two wheeled bicycles for transport everywhere in the world. And for the seat, Don used a common plastic chair. With a few other materials, Don built a total of one hundred wheelchairs. Instead of costing hundreds of dollars, each of Don’s wheelchairs only cost forty four dollars.
Voice 1
After this, Don needed to find a way for people to get the wheelchairs. He did this in two ways. First, he brought them to people in Ghana, India, and China. Second, Don sent the wheelchair parts in the mail. When people receive the parts, they can put the chairs together easily. This saves money.
Voice 2
In 2001, Don turned his wheelchair project into a group called the Free Wheelchair Mission. Many people gave money to the group. Don used this money to build many more wheelchairs. Today, two factories in China make the wheelchairs. The group then sends the chairs all over the world.
Voice 1
Free Wheelchair Mission has given wheelchairs to people in seventy five [75] countries. And Don hopes that by the year 2010 his group will deliver twenty million [20,000,000] wheelchairs.
Voice 2
So, why does Don work so hard to help other people? He could be making a lot of money working as an engineer. Why does he put so much energy into helping²⁴ disabled people? The answer is on Free Wheelchair Mission’s Website. It says:
Voice 4
“Free Wheelchair Mission believes that when Jesus Christ lived in this world, he had special love for the sick and disabled. We try to share the same concern now for the poor, especially those with physical movement problems. The chairs are given free to those in need, no matter what they believe.”
Voice 1
Don was influenced by the life of Jesus. He wants to care for the sick and poor just like Jesus did. Don says this about the first time a person gets his new wheelchair.
Voice 3
“It is like the day they get married, or the day they finish school. Without a doubt, it is the most important day in their lives. It is the day they get their self-respect back.”
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 rough   

adj.粗糙的；粗略的，大致的；粗野的，粗暴的

参考例句：

• It's just a very rough translation.这只是一篇非常粗糙的译稿。
• His reply was a bit rough.他的答复过于粗鲁了一点。

3 wheelchair   

n.(病人等用的)轮椅

参考例句：

• He used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.他的后半生依靠轮椅生活。
• He collapsed the wheelchair and put it on the boat.他将轮椅折叠起来放在船上。

4 wheelchairs   

轮椅( wheelchair的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The building has been specially designed to provide easy access for people in wheelchairs. 这幢房子特地设计得便于坐轮椅的残疾人进出。
• Men in wheelchairs reeled around the room, shouting and singing. 坐轮椅的男子们大喊大唱，绕着房间回旋移动。

5 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

8 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

9 satisfying   

adj.令人满意的，令人满足的v.使满意，满足( satisfy的现在分词)

参考例句：

• It's satisfying to play a game really well. 一种游戏玩得特别好是一桩惬意的事。
• The book is more satisfying if you read each chapter in sequence. 这本书依次读各章会更好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

11 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

12 conflict   

n.冲突，矛盾，争执；vi.争执，撞斗，冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• Your statement is in conflict with the rest of the evidence.你的陈述同其余证据有矛盾。
• The conflict between them seems ceaseless.他们之间冲突似乎没个止息。

13 extreme   

adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度

参考例句：

• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。
• His views are rather extreme.他的见解相当偏激。

14 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

16 freely   

adv.自由地，随便地，无拘无束地

参考例句：

• She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水，痛痛快快地哭了起来。
• A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动，无固定形态。

17 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

18 difficulties   

n.困难( difficulty的名词复数 )；难度；难事；麻烦

参考例句：

• I am acutely aware of the difficulties we face. 我十分清楚我们面临的困难。
• the difficulties of English syntax 英语句法的难点

19 incident   

n.附带事件，小事件；事件，事变；adj.易发生的；附属的；入射的

参考例句：

• With the passage of time the incident was forgotten.随着时间的消逝，那个事件被忘却了。
• The incident had left him visibly angry and upset.那起事件显然让他既恼火又心烦。

20 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

21 mechanical   

adj.机械(学)的；力学的；机械似的；手工操作的

参考例句：

• He borrowed a mechanical book from me.他从我这儿借了一本力学方面的书。
• He looks very mechanical.他看上去非常呆板。

22 complex   

adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体

参考例句：

• What he said was too complex for me to understand.他说的太复杂了，我无法了解。
• Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law.正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。

23 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

24 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。